Out of the Past
by ToxxicWishes71
Summary: What looked to be an open and shut case turns out to be something bigger. Now, the team must poke through McGee's tragic past, even if things start to get more deadly then ever in the process./ McGee-Centric, lot's of McGee Feels.
1. Skeletons in the Closet

Summary: What looked to be an open and shut case turns out to be something bigger. Now, the team must poke through McGee's tragic past, even if things start to get more deadly then ever in the process.

 **Author's Note:**

 **I do not own NCIS, blah blah blah. Okay, move on. Also, warnings: Cursing, may have sexual content. Not really sure yet, so just beware.**

Chapter 1: Skeletons in the Closet

* * *

"I got him! Go!" McGee yelled towards Tony as he ran towards the Navy Lieutenant, Aaron Sanders. He had been involved in hiring a contract killer to murder his wife, a well-respected First Class Petty Officer. Tony and him were supposed to come here, to his cabin in the middle of the woods, to arrest him. The only thing is, they didn't expect him to have _another_ meeting with the contract killer: Luke Garza, which was why Gibbs and Ziva weren't with them, sense they were heading towards Garza's place to arrest him now.

 _Well, guess that won't happen._ McGee thought, hoping that the call to Gibbs he'll have later will be to tell him that they got both suspects in custody, instead of telling them to get over here for some help.

Yeah, he really hoped they wouldn't need the extra help. But McGee knew very well that it was a likely possibility, especially given that it was a two on two fight, and they had both went running in separate directions into the woods.

McGee could only groan in annoyance at this guy - at this _case._ He didn't like it one bit. Something about it sent a shiver down his spine, and it wasn't because the weather was in double-digits below zero. Maybe it was the cold-hearted, brutal, murder of that innocent wife who thought she married someone that would be there for her for the rest of their lives. Maybe it was because the Petty Officer was expecting, and even when she was eight months pregnant, Sanders and Garza still didn't mind the fact to stab her to death twenty times to kill her and the baby.

It was a cold-hearted, brutal, killing, and everyone on the team wanted to catch these scumbags, and McGee definitely wasn't going to leave without them.

He felt his feet run faster through the three inches of D.C. snow, as he watched as Sanders run into his cabin that he had been heading towards when Tony and him spotted him in the first place. McGee couldn't help but wonder why go back to the cabin, when he could easily get trapped there. That is, unless he has an escape plan. Or worse - something in there that can lead McGee in a trap. Though, it wasn't really in Sander's M.O. to kill with brutal means. In fact, this case was surprising to many people sense it didn't seem to _fit_ Sander's psych profile.

Something about this case seemed _off_ to McGee, and he was intent on finding out everything he could. Still, it didn't stop from hating this dirtbag in the first place. Even if this guy didn't do it, why would he run? Why was he meeting Garza? Why here?

The thought that Sanders had something planned sent another shiver down McGee's spine as he rushed into the cabin. He could only grow more worried as he noticed that Sanders didn't even _try_ to lock the door, and as McGee looked around, he could see that this cabin was a lot bigger than normal cabins. Instead, it was more like a... _house_ in the middle of the woods, versus a place to go camping. But judging by all the pictures hanging on the wall of Lieutenant Sanders and his wife and family, it definitely belonged to him.

Looking around, McGee strained his ears to attempt to listen for Sanders as he searched the ground floor. He stopped for a moment when he heard the soft, faint, sound of something creaking - like a door.

Perking up, McGee was quick to rush towards the stairs as quietly as possible. He started to sneak up, gun raised in case a surprise attack, before he started to search all the rooms. He could feel his heart racing in his chest as the adrenaline pumped through his system - it was the way he felt every time he chased a suspect, but he knew this was different. Something about this case was just different.

His gut turned, and McGee's instinct screamed for him to turn around and run - but he knew he couldn't do that. He had to keep chasing the guy. He wasn't going to stop until the guy was in cuffs.

 _Yeah, Timothy, that's how people get killed._ McGee thought to himself, _By ignoring their instincts._

But he could also see it now if he turned back and run, and had to face Gibb's wrath.

Why didn't you arrest him?

 _Right, boss, my gut was just telling me to get the hell out._

What kind of Federal agent would be be if he turned around and ran out of fear? Then again, what kind of agent would be be if he didn't follow his gut instinct?

McGee was torn, but instead of thinking about the subject, he decided to just focus on the task at hand as he walked slowly to the last door at the end of the hall, knowing Sanders had to be in there. He lowered a shaky hand to the door knob, a part of him wondering what brought on the sudden anxiety, as he twisted the doorknob and suddenly busted in.

Trusting his training, McGee was quick to check behind the door. Before Sanders could even throw a punch, McGee had elbowed him in the face sending him falling backwards onto the hard ground. He looked down at him, about to jump on him to finally arrest the bastard, but something in his mind told him to stop and look up.

When he did, he couldn't help but freeze at what was in front of him. His green eyes suddenly widened, his heart sinking deep in his chest as he looked at the pictures pinned to the wall.

Before McGee could even comprehend what was happening, the Lieutenant's fist collided with McGee's face. He flew to the ground, knocking the gun out of his hand as it slid across the room. Jumping up with the adrenaline still running through his system, he faced Sanders who instead of running, faced him to fight.

He had to take that as a good sign, McGee guessed, because maybe he could arrest the guy. But, McGee knew, this case was more than hiring a killer to kill his wife.

Sanders must have knew who he was - which was why he ran inside this house. Why he picked _this_ room - to catch him off by surprise. McGee groaned at the fact that it worked, but he wasn't going to let that affect him now. His focus was all on Sanders, knowing he could focus what was pinned to the wall beside him later.

As Sanders suddenly rushed towards him, McGee was quick to dodge, his years of NCIS training finally feeling like they paid off. He was quick to turn around and punch Sanders by surprise, knocking him down. Jumping on him, he held him down to cuff him but the Lieutenant was bigger, heavier - stronger.

Sanders knocked him back by surprise, flicking him off him as if he was lightweight. Falling backwards, McGee was quick to jump up. He could see the gun that was behind Sanders, but he didn't look interested. Instead, he looked more interested in hand-to-hand combat, as if knowing he could beat McGee.

McGee could only figure that was a good sign. A punch to the face was better than a bullet any day.

Charging towards him, Sanders went to throw a punch at him, but McGee was quick to duck, hit him in the leg and make him _almost_ lose his balance. But, Sanders didn't budge. Instead, he was quick to grab McGee and basically throw him into the wall.

McGee groaned out in pain as he slid down and hit the hard ground, but the pain subsided quickly with all the adrenaline, and he was quick to get back up to his feet. He didn't waste any second as he rushed over towards his gun, not wanting to waste anymore time with this hand-to-hand combat crap.

Before McGee could even get to his gun, he watched as Sanders started to charge him once more. McGee felt himself raise the gun, and everything seemed to happen in fast motion.

One minute, He heard the gunshot echo in the small room, and he felt Sander's heavy body hit his like a bull. The next, he could hear glass shattering and his body start to fall, the cold air hitting him as his back suddenly crashed through something hard before he took a mouthful of cold, freezing water.

For a moment, he was too shocked at what even happened, before he started to swim, begging for air. He swore he could hear his name being called in the distance, but sense it sounded like Gibbs, he had a feeling it wasn't.

Ignoring the sounds that sounded a world away, McGee gasped as he felt himself suddenly being dragged down into the cold waters, forcing him to swallow the pond water. His head felt like it was going to explode in that moment, and he tried to hold his breath and shake his leg, trying to loosen the grip of Sanders.

He felt only partially aware of everything. He knew he was in freezing cold water - but he still wasn't exactly sure how. He knew he fell - but he still couldn't even remember there being a window.

He knew that he pulled the trigger, but he didn't know if the bullet ever pieced through flesh. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up shooting himself though, with the searing pain that raced through his body, and the sight of red floating in the water around him.

Everything seemed to have been in slow motion now, with Sanders pulling at his leg and McGee trying to wiggle free. He felt helpless and weak, and he hated that feeling. He hated that feeling more than anything in the world.

Looking down, he could see Sander's cold-hard expression stare at him. It was full of anger, rage, vengeance. He wasn't sure where that came from - or why, because as far as McGee knew, Lieutenant Sanders was a good, well-respected man before the murder of his pregnant wife.

Now, he was just a monster.

But McGee knew Monsters weren't made over-night, and he was still greatly confused on what tripped Sanders off. Then again, he knew he might never know if he doesn't fight.

He might never explain those pictures hanging on the wall if he doesn't fight.

Feeling a sudden burst of adrenaline in him, McGee found the strength as he kicked Sander's hard in the face. His grip around McGee's ankle loosened, and McGee started to swim to the top. He could see the surface of the water, rippling above him. He could see the dim sunlight peaking just behind the surface of the water, and it almost looked like he could see a blurred face.

For a split second, McGee wasn't sure if he was going to reach the surface. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get another gasp of air, or if he would ever say goodbye to his little sister, to his family, to his team, to his girlfriend.

For a split second, he thought he was going to die. He felt his body grow even more weaker as if giving up, even though he know that his fight or flight instincts should be kicking in so hard that it would make him stronger to fight for air. But instead, his body didn't seem to care. It just wanted to stay, witness the end, and fall into a peaceful slumber.

But McGee wasn't going to die. He wasn't going to let that happen.

With one last bit of strength, McGee fought harder to swim to the top, and suddenly, his head broke through the surface of the water as he gasped loudly for air. He coughed, as he heard the soft, reassuring 'you're okay's from his teammates, pulling him towards solid ground.

When he found himself lying down on the cold snow, McGee looked up at the grey sky above him. He looked up at Tony's looming, worried, face starring back down at him. He could see Gibb's concerned stare, the wind rustling through his silver hair.

"You okay, probie?"

McGee coughed once more, before letting a small smile take over his face.

"Peachy." He said. In that moment, he couldn't be more glad that he was alive. He couldn't be more happy that he had air to breathe, a family to love and...

His mind suddenly stopped, and his smile suddenly turned into a frown as he was reminded of the pictures hanging on the wall in the house he had somehow fallen out of. McGee was quick to sit up, now starring at the pond in front of him, Sander's body somewhere beneath the cold waters.

"Whoa, slow down there, McGee." Tony said, a warm hand on his shoulder as he shivered in the cold.

"I-I-" He stuttered stupidly, unable to explain anything as he jumped up. Tony and Gibbs looked at him in shock, and he could only guess that Tony got Garza, because Ziva was no where in sight. She was probably bringing him back to NCIS.

McGee couldn't focus on that, though. Instead, while ignoring the concerned glares and yells of protests from his teammates, he turned around and burst into a run back towards the house. He could hear his name being called by Gibbs, but he ignored him as he kept running.

His lungs burned, and he knew it probably wasn't a good idea to run in the freezing cold after falling out of a two-story building and nearly drowning, but he felt like he had no choice.

Ignoring the searing pain that sparked through his entire body, McGee raced up the stairs as he headed towards the room he had fought Sanders in. Once he got in, he stopped, his eyes widening once again.

His heart could only beat faster as he stepped closer towards the wall of pictures.

His heart was racing so incredibly fast, he was pretty sure he was going to have a panic attack - or worse - a heart attack, right then and there. But, instead, he only stood still as he looked up at the pictures.

"Man, Probie, you run-whoa." Tony stopped as he entered the room, looking up at the wall of pictures. He stepped towards the younger agent, but his eyes wasn't focused on him. Instead, he was looking at the hundreds of pictures that were pinned on the wall.

He only knew one person on there, and it worried him. It worried him, because Tony knew that this case was more than a husband hiring a contract killer to kill his wife.

No.

It was just the tipping of the iceberg (Er, maybe not the best analogy). It was the beginning of a much, much, bigger case.

A case that none of them could ever expect.

Because on that wall, were pictures of McGee. Pictures of him as an NCIS field agent, pictures of him back in Norfolk. Pictures of him what looked like college, and even grade school.

But they weren't all of him. The other pictures that were scattered on the wall was of a pretty brunette woman, and some others where what looked like her kid.

"Who is she, McGee?" Tony questioned. As he looked over at the younger agent, he could see that he wasn't starring at his own pictures. He could see that he didn't even seem to be _worried_ over his own safety. Instead, he seemed to be worried over the woman's.

"Talia." Was all that could be heard as McGee unintentionally shivered.

"Who?" Tony questioned, just as Gibbs entered the room so quietly, that he was sure McGee wasn't even aware he was there.

 _"My ex-fiancée."_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Yeah, kind of a short chapter, and I feel like this was poorly written. It's kind of...-looks at the clock and gasps-**

 **Oh shit, it's 4:50am.  
**

 **Well, you get my point. Anyway, I'm sitting here wondering if I should post a chapter a day, or just post all of them at once when I'm done. Like...what will make me post more often? I'm not sure. Problem is, I have a habit of not finishing things.**

 **Well, I'm going to _try_ to post a chapter a day, but sense this story has been in my head for a really, really, long while, I actually feel like I'll finish it.**

 **I'm planning to have the chapters short sense it seems to make me post more, but just have _more_ chapters - ya feel me?**

 **Also, Reviews are good! Constructive criticism is good too, but you know, not stuff like "this story sucks" or...eh, I can't think of another example. My mind isn't working properly right now.**

 **Well, that's it so...bye**


	2. Confrontation

**NCIS: Out of the Past**

Chapter 2: Confrontation

* * *

 _"Timmy!"_

 _Timothy F. McGee nearly jumped when he heard his fiancée's excited squeal, but he couldn't help as a smile formed on his face when he saw Talia practically skip towards him and hugged him tightly. Tim let out a laugh, wondering what it was that got his beautiful fiancée to be this happy._

 _"Talia." Timothy chuckled as he closed the door behind him, letting the coat he had in his hand fall to the floor as he just pulled Talia in a tight embrace. He smiled, breathing in her scent. She smelled like a mixture of Chocolate-strawberries, marshmallows, and the mixed scents of the woods._

 _They pulled away, Talia still practically jumping up and down with a huge grin on her face._

 _"Missed me that much?" Timothy teased, partially wondering how he could feel this comfortable with Talia when he would stutter and feel embarrassed with anyone else._

 _He wasn't sure how she did it - how she made him feel like he could do anything, but she did. She was the reason he was able to break through his shy barrier with everyone else, and without her, he didn't know where he would be._

 _"I'm not sure whether to be excited, or nervous - or both!" Talia squealed._

 _"Okay." McGee trailed off, nervous to know what got Talia this happy, "What is it, babe?" He grabbed her hands, noticing how even though she looked incredibly happy, she was also shaking. In fact, she also seemed a little clammy._

 _Furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, and concern, Timothy was quick to put his hand to Talia's forehead before saying, "Are you sick, babe?"_

 _"No! Well, not exactly..." She trailed off, biting her lip before shaking her head and let that beautiful smile of hers take over again, "It's..uh...well...I'm pregnant!"_

 _His eyes suddenly widened. His heart sank deep in his chest, and for a moment, all he could feel was fear run through his body. He was frozen from shock._

 _But then, he couldn't help but smirk, not even realizing his body was doing it before he hugged Talia and spun her around and said, "We're going to be parents!"_

 _"We're going to be parents!" Talia repeated with a sequel as she threw her head back and laughed. Timothy set his fiancée down, and without missing a beat their lips slammed together before he pulled away. He let his forehead rest on hers as he spoke softly this time, "You're going to be an amazing mother, Talia."_

 _"And you're going to be an amazing father, Timothy." She smiled, and he couldn't help but give her a kiss again, before holding her closer than ever._

 _"When did you find out?" Timothy finally asked, as he stared into Talia's soft green eyes._

 _"Just last week I got a pregnancy test, but I...wasn't sure, so I went to the doctor today." Talia gave a small, warming smile, "I'm five weeks."_

 _Tim smiled, "That's wonderful, babe." He said, holding her face in his hands. He gave her another soft kiss on the lips, full of passion and love, and he couldn't seem to get away from her, "I love you so much, baby."_

 _"I love you, too, Timmy." Talia looked up at him and smiled, before resting her head on his chest and letting out a deep, shaky, breath._

 _"You know...my dad's going to be pissed, right?"_

 _"Yeah." Timothy frowned, running a hand through her hair before saying, "But I mean, a lot of people start a family at 21...right?"_

 _Talia pulled away, looking up at him with slightly bigger eyes before saying, "Right."_

 _Though, as Timothy pulled her into another tight embrace, he knew that it wouldn't make a difference._

 _But for now, he just wanted to celebrate this moment. Celebrate the fact that they, Talia Johnson and Timothy McGee, were going to be parents._

 _Because even if he still felt like he was too young, Tim knew that he would never leave this child. He'd be their, and he'll be the best father anyone could ask for._

 _And nothing - not even Talia's dad who might be pissed off that he got her pregnant - will tear these two apart. If anything, having this child will only bring them even more together._

 _Because now, they were a family._

 _ **His**_ _family._

* * *

"Okay, everyone is here." Gibbs said as the team gathered in the autopsy room with McGee sitting on the cold, metal, table with a blanket wrapped around him, "Ready to talk?"

McGee gulped, but nodded anyway. He knew that now was the time to explain everything. He knew that in order for him to get any answers, he was going to have to tell the team - even if the guilt of not telling them in the first place was weighing him down.

McGee opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. He thought about how to word what he needed to say as he once again opened his mouth and closed it again.

If this was a charades game, he would make a great fish. But - this wasn't, and he really did need to talk.

Taking a deep breath, even though the action burned his lungs, he looked down at the picture that was in a plastic evidence bag. It was one with Talia and McGee, smiling at the camera with Talia holding her round belly.

"Talia...was my Fiancée." McGee decided to start, "We met back in California, dated for awhile and both went to John Hopkins together." McGee swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. Sighing, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head, not really wanting to go into too much detail, "Uh, we were engaged, and were planning to get married in a few months when we found out Talia was pregnant, so we decided to push the wedding back a little. We wanted to make it sooner, but my dad was still not back, and I wanted him there." McGee gulped again, and looked down at the picture in his hands. He didn't want to look at his team mate's faces. He didn't want to see the disappointment of not telling them, or the sad or surprised looks. He just...didn't want to see the pity.

"December 19, 1998." McGee couldn't help but give a small smile at the memory, even if he knew the disastrous events that occurred afterwards, "Talia gave birth. To twins. Lydia and Lily McGee." He bit his lip again, before running another hand through his still-damp hair, "Uh, it was a year and a couple months later...Talia and I were still really stressed out with the twins and everything, and we finally decided to plan the wedding again. It was July, Talia was just taking the twins to the daycare when...I got the call." He gulped, and hung his head low and let a tear escape, "There was a crash. Talia died on impact. Someone...they tried to save them, but the car...it exploded..."

"Oh, Timmy." McGee could hear Abby's tear-filled voice, but he still couldn't look.

"I just...I don't understand." McGee finally looked up at his boss, tears filling his eyes even if it made him feel weak that he was crying in front of his team, "How...how could they..."

"I don't know, McGee." Gibbs said, and by the sound of his voice, McGee knew that the story must of made Gibbs think back to his wife and daughter. But, Gibbs was strong like always, and he held it together for his team.

"We're going to figure out what's going on."

"If my daughters are alive..."

"Then we'll find them, McGee!" Abby said a little too quickly, "We wont stop until we do. There has to be a reason Sanders led you to that room - right?"

McGee nodded, rubbing a hand over his face and wiping the tears in the process, "If that was the case, why try to kill me?"

Everyone in the room looked at each other before back at McGee. McGee's eyes slightly widened, knowing there was something they weren't telling him.

"What?" He asked, sitting up, "What is it?"

Tony heaved a sigh, "McGee...there's no body. Sanders is gone."

McGee looked at him like he was crazy. "What do you mean he's gone?" McGee questioned, "He drowned, didn't he?"

"No, McGee." Gibbs sighed, "The divers found a man-made tunnel that leads to somewhere in the woods. It only takes about two minutes to swim. He's in the Navy, so it makes sense. He's trained, and that tunnel was the perfect escape to hold us back."

"In the tunnel, there was an area where the water is shallow." Ziva stated, "There was some diving equipment there for oxygen."

"We think he was trying to take you with him." Tony frowned, "With the pictures, if Talia and your...kids...are alive, I think Sanders was trying to warn you about something. He knows something."

"It explains why he wasn't that thorough sense the evidence led him right to us, but it doesn't explain the death of his wife."

McGee gulped, trying to think this through.

"Abby, have you looked at the pictures?" He questioned, "You sure they haven't been tampered with?"

Abby nodded, "I'm sure, Timmy." She gave a sympathetic look towards him, "By the looks of it...Talia is alive. I'm not sure if the girl she's with is your daughter, but it's possible. She's around the same age."

"Right now she'd be...seventeen, am I wrong?" Ziva questioned.

"Yeah." McGee said, then lowered his head as he realized something, "And I just missed so much of her life..."

"Don't say that, McGee." Tony frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Right now, we just need to focus on the case - and on finding them. Understood?"

He nodded, but that didn't help the fact that he was still nervous.

"Abs." McGee said, looking back up at her, "Were there any pictures where...if it was Lydia or Lily..." He gulped, "Where they ever in the same room? They were identical twins."

"No. There was always only one." Abby frowned, not liking the answer she had to give him.

McGee's shoulder's slumped in sadness.

It was quiet for what felt like a long moment before Tony said, "Why didn't you tell us, McGoo?"

McGee looked back up at him, and Tony instantly regretted it when he saw the look on the younger agent's face.

"I guess...I thought it was easier. I didn't want to think about what happened." McGee trailed off, looking away, "I'm a terrible father."

"Don't say that, Timothy." Ducky said, speaking for what felt like the first time, "You had no way of knowing. This isn't your fault, and we'll figure this stuff out."

McGee nodded, but Ducky still didn't feel like the information went through his head. He could only sigh, mentally noting to talk to him later.

"Did you catch Garza?" McGee asked. He was pretty sure they did, but everything that happened seemed like a blur.

"Yeah." Gibbs said, "We're going to talk to him now."

"Can I-?"

"You can watch." Gibbs gave a stern expression, "But that's all. Alright?"

McGee nodded, then stood up. But, not before he was stopped by Ducky.

"Not yet, Timothy." Ducky said, "I still need to run a few tests to make sure you are clear to do anything else."

"But-"

"No, buts, Timothy." Ducky said, sounding more like a father than anything else, "Now sit down. The suspect can wait - but you're health can't."

Frowning, all McGee could do was sit back down. Tony pat his shoulder, looked like he was going to say something, but then chose not to before he started to follow Ziva out of the autopsy room.

"Take care of him, Duck."

"Will do, Jethro." Ducky said.

McGee just frowned as he watched his team leave. For a moment, Abby stayed, her eyes reflection the pity she was giving McGee, before following the others.

McGee heaved a sigh, before grimacing at the burning sensation in his lungs.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Okay, I'm really sorry guys. I had some stuff to do for school, so I haven't had much time to post. I honestly didn't expect a lot of people to favorite/follow this story! So, thank you guys so much! I will try to post more often. Some days I might post more than one, too! :)**


	3. Chasing Ghosts

**NCIS: Out of the Past**

Chapter 3: Chasing Ghosts  


* * *

Navy Lieutenant Aaron Sanders groaned as he entered the small, dirty, motel that he had to get last minute. He wasn't very happy that his plans were soiled all because of Garza. He especially wasn't happy that the mission had ended up getting too close to home, and now his beautiful wife and unborn children were dead.

But, Sanders knew that the mission had gone too far. But worse, he should have known this mission would get too far in the first place. He knew, somewhere inside him, that everything about this was suspicious. He should of known when he was somehow drugged, then would have been dishonorably discharged if his handler didn't come up to him with a "second chance". Something that would, if he followed through and succeed, would erase everything that happened on his record. Of course, he couldn't say no. His wife was pregnant, and with two new additions to the family, he knew he couldn't have that on his record. No one would want to hire him, and he had to be able to bring a paycheck to support his family. Especially sense his wife was planning on staying home with the kids and becoming a teacher, and Sanders knew that a teacher salary wouldn't help with supporting the four of them.

Frowning at the reminder, Sanders couldn't help but feel anger rush through him. Anger at himself, and at the very reason he was on this mission in the first place. He was beyond pissed. At his handler, at the killer he was chasing, at Garza for murdering his family, at falling through this damn trap, and even at the fact that Garza had drugged him. He was too drugged, and too pissed off, to even think clearly. So of course when Special Agent Timothy McGee fought him, he could only fight as if he wasn't even a trained Navy Lieutenant. He was glad, drugged or not, that he thought about going through the window to fall into the lake. Though, of course, the idea that the lake would be _frozen_ completely slipped his mind.

Grimacing, he rubbed his shoulders at the reminder.

He also hated the fact that Agent McGee was able to get away. He wasn't _trying_ to kill him, but instead, he wanted to drag McGee down to the tunnel then explain things to him.

Like the fact that he wasn't the reason his wife and unborn children are dead. Or, how his Handler set him up, and how Agent McGee was in danger.

But Sanders know that NCIS was now looking for him, and possibly every cop in D.C. But he also knew that if he didn't warn Agent McGee, then things were only going to get worse. But, even though Agent McGee's teammates probably are looking the pictures he left on the wall, he knew that they couldn't know that McGee was in danger.

If so, an innocent child was going to die.

Groaning, Sanders stood back up from the edge of the bed and closed the curtains, but not until he peaked through the window to see if there were any cops near by. Feeling relieved, he turned back around and set the bag down on the bed. Sitting back down, he set out the materials he needed to start his research in order to plan what to do next.

Setting down a file, he opened it and started to read Agent McGee's classified file.

* * *

 _Timothy parked outside Talia's dad's house, wiping his sweaty hands. Looking around, he couldn't see Talia's car, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized that he was going to have to face Mr. Johnson's wrath before Talia and the kids even get here. He groaned, suddenly wishing that instead of coming here directly after work, that he could of at least left a little early and went to pick Talia and the kids up._

 _But, that wasn't the case, and now Timothy knew that he had to act like a man. For Talia's sake, and for the kids when they get here. He didn't want any of his girl's feeling the tension between the two._

 _Taking a deep breath, Timothy finally got out of his car and locked the doors. He rubbed his sweaty hands over his dress shirt once more, before gulping and heading up the porch. Before he could even get close enough to knock, he watched as Mr. Johnson opened the door._

 _Timothy suddenly stopped, looking at the shocked expression on the older man's face, and he suddenly wondered if Talia forgot to tell him they were coming. She had been like that a lot lately, actually._

 _"Tim..." The older man trailed off, and the way his voice was filled with so much...sadness, anxiety, and fear - Timothy could feel his heart sink in his chest as he stared at the man with wide eyes._

 _"Mr. John-" Before he could finish, he heard his phone ring. For a moment, all he could do was stare at him, and he noticed that the older man had tears._

 _He never saw him cry. Not ever._

 _Suddenly, he could hear his heart beat in his ears, knowing that whatever it was, was something big. Gulping, McGee was quick to look down at his phone and see that Talia was calling._

 _Maybe she knew what was going on._

 _"Talia, Where-"_

 _"Is this Mr. McGee?" A younger, male, voice said. "Talia Johnson's Fiancée?"_

 _His heart sank._

 _"Y-yes." He said, now avoiding eye contact with Mr. Johnson, "Is-Is Talia okay?"_

 _"Timothy." He heard Mr. Johnson say, and he turned to see he was closer now._

 _"I'm sorry, sir, but there was an accident."_

 _It was like in that moment, with that single sentence, everything seemed to pause. All the noise in the background seemed to fade away, and the only thing he could hear was the other man and his heart beating pounding in his ears._

 _"Please tell me she's okay," Timothy said, and when he remembered she was dropping the kids off at the daycare before coming, his heart sank even more, "The twins...are my- are my kids okay? Were they in the accident?"_

 _"I'm so sorry, sir." Timothy could hear the sadness in the younger man's voice, obviously hating to make this call, "Your Fiancée died on impact. The car exploded...I'm...I'm sorry. We couldn't get her out."_

 _"No...no, please tell me this is some kind of joke, right? This...this has to be."_

 _"Timothy." Mr. Johnson said again, but Tim ignored him._

 _"I'm sorry, sir, but-"_

 _"No!" Timothy said, before rubbing a hand over his face and feeling the drops of sweat start to form, "No, no, no...she...they can't be...they can't be dead."_

 _"Timothy!"_

 _"Sir, I-"_

 _"I want to see them."_

 _"But, sir-"_

 _"I want to see their...their...bodies." Timothy's voice grew softer, filled with pain._

 _"Sir-"  
_

 _Before the younger man could even say anything else, Mr. Johnson was quick to grab the phone out of his hand and slam it shut. Timothy looked over at him, tears filling his green eyes. He was shocked as Mr. Johnson suddenly pulled him into a tight hug._

 _"I'm sorry, son."_

* * *

"I want...to see..."

Tony looked over at the younger agent who was sleeping at his desk. He glanced over at Gibb's empty desk, then at Ziva who was starring at McGee oddly as well.

"Is he talking in his sleep?" Ziva questioned.

"I think so." DiNozzo said, slowly getting to his feet. Ziva did the same as they edged closer to the younger agent's desk.

"I want...see...their body."

Tony frowned, his heart sinking in his chest as he realized what the probie was dreaming about. Not wanting for his friend to suffer any longer, he decided to wake him up. Then again, with the case they were on now, there was no reason to believe he wouldn't still be suffering.

Without missing a beat. Tony started to shake McGee. He jolted awake, looking at Tony and Ziva with wide eyes.

Tony and Ziva could only stare at him in concern.

"You okay there, probie?"

McGee made a sad expression before looking around and said, "Yeah, I've just been really tired."

"Ducky mentioned that." Tony frowned, "Side effect from being thrown out a window into a frozen pond." Tony said, patting the younger agent's shoulder.

"You sure you are okay, McGee?" Ziva questioned.

McGee frowned. He knew that they both knew the truth. He wasn't okay. He was far from it, but maybe it would be okay. With the possibility of Talia and his kids being alive, he knew it might be okay.

But, it was the very reason he wanted to be hard at _work,_ and not here sleeping at his desk. But then again, he couldn't seem to help it. One minute he was looking through Sander's phone records, credit card transactions, or Garza's bank records or whatever, and the next he was waking up at his desk.

"Maybe you should take the day off." Ziva offered.

"No!" McGee answered a little too quickly, then groaned as he rubbed his face, "No. I'm just going to grab some coffee." He said, standing up.

"Probie-"

"Tony." McGee warned, finally looking Tony directly in the eye for the first time, "I have to keep working. I need to find them."

Tony could only frown. He wanted, desperately so, to tell the younger agent that he wasn't needed if he wasn't at his 110%, but Tony knew that wouldn't help.

Sighing, he watched as his partner left the bullpen. He turned to Ziva with a huge frown as he said, "We need to watch him, Zeev. I'm worried."

"So am I, Tony." Ziva frowned, looking back to where McGee had disappeared before sighing, "But right now, the only thing we could do is solve this case."

Sighing, Tony watched as Ziva went back to his desk, before quickly leaving the bullpen without another word.

Right now, he needed to see Abby. Maybe she had something.


	4. Seeing Double

**NCIS: Out of the Past**

Chapter 4: Seeing Double  


* * *

"Hey Abs - got anything?" Tony asked as he strolled into the young Goth's lab, hoping there was something to help with McGee. Talking with Garza led with nothing, and everyone was starting to get really pissed. At least he didn't Lawyer up, because Tony really wanted to try again.

He watched as Abby turned around, and for a moment he stopped in his tracks because by the look of it, she was definitely sad about something.

"Why didn't he tell us, Tony?" Abby questioned, and Tony sighed as he stopped closer.

"Oh, Abs." He started, unsure exactly how to go about this, "Don't take it personally."

"Don't take it personally?" She spat, backing away, "How could I not take it personally, Tony? He lied to us! This whole time!"

"I understand your frustration, Abs, I do." Tony groaned, putting his hands on Abby's shoulders to stop her from moving, "But you heard McGee. He didn't want to talk about it. He didn't want to be reminded."

"But-"

"No, buts, Abby." Tony warned, "And the best way we can help him now is by solving this case."

She frowned, but Abby knew he was right.

"I can't believe McGee actually had kids." She said, no longer angry with the young agent, "And twins, too!"

"I-"

"And that got me thinking."

"About kids?" Tony's eyes widened.

"No! About twins!"

"Twins?" Tony questioned, not sure how that can lead Abby to anything valuable to this case.

"Well, Twins usually run in families, right?"

"Yeah, but twins don't run in McGoo's family - right?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, suddenly realizing he doesn't know much about his family at all.

"Yeah!" Abby said, suddenly turning around and facing her computer as she started to type a few things. A picture of Talia Johnson came up - one that was her driver's license before she died. "Talia Johnson doesn't have twins that run in her family."

"Well, maybe it's just...I don't know, happened?" Tony shrugged, "It doesn't have to run in families, right?"

"No." Abby frowned, "But I was doing some digging based off a hunch. And I started to look into McGee's family."

Tony groaned, "Abs, I don't think-"

"And McGee was a twin!"

Tony's eyes suddenly widened. He took a step closer, and looked at the plasma to see two pictures. One was of Timothy, who looked to be around seven years old, and the other was of his twin - Daniel McGee - who looked different. They must be fraternal twins, because instead of having blonde hair and green eyes like Tim, Daniel had blue eyes and dark brown hair.

"He never said anything."

"That's because he died." Abby said, suddenly sounding a mixture of shock and sadness, "A week before their birthday. But the weird thing is, I can't see why he died. It's under a classified file."

"Classified?" Tony questioned. This was getting weirder by the minute. He suddenly understood Abby's anger for why McGee never told us anything. Tony was starting to see how secretive McGee really was, but he knew he must have a reason.

"Abby." Tony sighed, "I'm sure he didn't want to talk about his dead twin either. Besides, this probably isn't even connected."

"But that's not all, Tony!" Abby nearly yelled, then hit another button as Navy Lieutenant Aaron Sander's picture went on the screen, "I don't think Sanders ordered the hit on his wife!"

Tony furrowed his eyebrows, "How so?" He questioned, "And how did the twins lead you to this?"

"Well, I thought it was weird a little. I mean, Sander's _also_ was going to have twins."

"He was." Tony realized, eyes a little wide as he looked at Sander's picture on the screen, "But how do you know if he didn't order the hit on his wife?"

"Because," Abby said, typing a few things. On the screen, it showed that Abby was logged on to Sander's email. There was an email that appeared Sander's sent to Garza, talking about the hit, before deleting it. Then, another window popped up that Tony couldn't understand, looking like she was hacking into something. But, then again, Tony wasn't sure. "This email didn't come from Sanders!"

"Okay, Abs, then who did it come from?"

"This guy!" Abby said, pressing a key as another window popped up. This one was a picture of Special Agent Byron Freeman. "And guess what?!"

"Come on, Abby, don't make me guess." Tony frowned dramatically.

"Agent Freeman is a twin, and his twin also died when he was in his thirties. The file is also classified."

"Okay, that is a little odd. Good work Abby." Tony was about to turn around when Abby spoke up again.

"But wait, that's not all!"

Tony turned around, not at all surprised.

"What else, Abs?"

"I did some digging." Abby said, "You remember how Sanders was dishonorably discharged?"

"Yeah? For Cocaine."

"Well, Sanders never had _any_ behavior like that! There's _nothing_ that shows he would do drugs! I mean, he had twins on the way, Tony!"

"Okay, so you don't think he did it? Someone drugged him?"

"Not just anyone, Tony!" Abby said, "But Agent Freeman!" Abby then started to pull up some pictures up of Sanders and Freeman talking to each other at a coffee shop, "The FBI has been working on uncovering a mole, and one of their main suspects was Freeman. So, they've been following him and spotted him meeting Sanders. Agent Freeman gave Sanders something, and after that, it doesn't look like they met. Then, just a _week_ before Sander's wife was murdered, Freeman died in a car accident. It exploded, so there's no proof the body is Freeman. Sounds familiar?"

"McGee's ex-Fiancée." Tony realized, "The car exploded, and suddenly Talia is spotted. You think Freeman is another victim? And if so, who is doing this?"

"That's the thing." Abby frowned, "I need to get into those classified files."

"Then we need to talk to Vance." Tony frowned, "And it will help if McGee gives us the go-ahead to read his classified file."

"Yeah." Abby frowned, "Also, have you seen Gibbs? He usually just knows when I have something..."

Frowning, Tony looked down at his phone to double-check that no one called, then shoved it back in my pocket.

"I'll go get him." Tony decided, "Then I'll come back and we can talk to Vance. Good work, Abs."

Tony started to leave the lab, and Abby just sighed before going back to work.

* * *

"McGee." Gibbs voice was calm as he walked over to his youngest agent, watching as he was holding a warm cup of coffee and starring out the window, "You okay?"

"One week." McGee said, voice low as he spoke, "One week, and then it's Lydia and Lily's birthday. Did you know that? Their going to turn eighteen, and...And I don't know if they're really alive, or if maybe they've actually been dead this whole time." He gulped, still starring out at the cold, D.C. snow, "My heart just won't stop pounding. I know it's possible that this thing might just...blow over my head. That Talia, Lydia and Lily may be dead...but I also can't help but wonder that they are actually alive. And even so...how would I even know the twins are alive? It's been seventeen years, Gibbs! How would I even recognize them!"

"McGee." Gibbs sighed as he set a hand on his shoulder, "I know that it's hard, and I can't imagine what you're going through."

McGee's heart sank, and he almost felt a little guilty because he knew how Gibbs would probably feel. Hell, he'd do anything to have his wife and daughter back, even if it was going through something like this. Even if he wasn't sure that they were alive or dead, the fact that there was still a possibility...

"I'm sorry, Boss."

"For what?" Gibbs questioned, looking at his youngest agent oddly, "There's nothing you did wrong."

"I never told anyone." McGee looked down at the hot cup of coffee in hand, "I've been secretive. How could anyone forgive me now?"

"You're team doesn't care." Gibbs huffed, "You have a right to not talk about your past. We all do. Hell, Tony had a ex fiancée too."

"Yeah, but his fiancée didn't die with two of his kids." McGee groaned, taking a sip of his coffee before realizing it was room-temperature. Spitting it back in the cup, he growled then threw the cup in the trashcan, taking a deep breath and huffing.

"I miss them, Gibbs. I miss them everyday, and now that everyone knows...it's like...I can't stop thinking about them, you know? And this time of the year is harder than ever." Suddenly, McGee chuckled, a thought coming to mind, "You know, the twins were actually due on Christmas. We were going to name them Holly Noel and Hope Grace."

Gibbs gave a small smile, "That's cute, McGee." He said, though his smile started to fade, "I'm sorry for what happened. No one deserves to go through that."

McGee nodded, still feeling a little guilty to feel this way when Gibbs' past was so similar to his.

"I should get back to work." McGee said, about to walk past him.

"No, what you need is to get some sleep." Gibbs stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, "You look like crap, McGee."

"Thanks. Means a lot." McGee couldn't help but roll his eyes as he took a step back, "But I just fell out of a window, broke through a layer of ice and nearly drowned in a frozen pond, then found out that my ex fiancée and two kids might still be alive after all these years. So yeah, Boss, I look like crap, and a rest is not going to do anything. All I want right now is to get to work."

At that, McGee started to walk away just as DiNozzo ran in.

"Boss!" His eyes widened when he landed on McGee, then looked back at Gibbs, "Abby found something."

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs growled.

"Uh, you should probably see this for yourself." He said, then looked at McGee and scratched his head awkwardly, "Uh...maybe you should sit this one out, McGee?"

"No way." McGee said, and without another word, he walked past DiNozzo. Gibbs started to follow, but stopped right in front of Tony.

"How bad?"

"I think this case was a lot bigger than any of us could have thought." Tony frowned, looking behind him to see that McGee was already gone. He looked back at Gibbs, a frown plastered on his face.

"Gibbs, this might be the work of a serial killer."

The look on Gibbs face was full of shock, and without a single word spoken, he turned around and headed towards Abby's lab.

"Call the others!"

With a heavy sigh, Tony dug his phone out of his pocket and begin dialing.


	5. The Young Recruits

**NCIS: Out of the Past**

Chapter 5: The Young Recruits  


* * *

"McGee, We need -"

"Permission. Yeah." McGee frowned after hearing everything Abby had to say, "Read it. I don't care." He gulped, "If I would have known he was..."

"Who?" Ziva stopped him before he could go any further.

"The person who killed Danny." McGee frowned, "They call him the Runic Twin Killer."

"So he goes after twins? Does that mean the Runic Twin Killer was targeting Sanders? Or was there another reason Freeman contacted him?"

"I don't know." McGee frowned at the thought. He rubbed his face in frustration, hating everything about this case, "The Runic Twin killer is known to play with his victims. Stalk them, send messages, torture...everything. He'd do anything in his god-damn power to manipulate and torture these people. No one, that I know of, has found a reason why he hates twins so much, but everyone believed that he is or was a twin himself. In fact, there's a lot of theories on this guy. I remember someone even telling me once they believe he killed his own twin."

Suddenly, McGee thought about something and gulp, "Freeman was a victim himself, so maybe it's possible he was trying to find out who RTK is." McGee frowned, "I've looked into the case myself, and I believe Freeman was his first target. But it wouldn't make sense why he would go to Sanders for help, unless he either knew Sanders was another target or he was somehow helping the RTK. But...there's no way Freeman is the Runic Twin Killer."

"How so?" Tony asked, eyebrow raised.

"Because I looked into it. After what happened to his brother, Freeman ran off to England. He had an alibi for a lot of the RTK killings." McGee shook his head in frustration, "But the Runic Twin Killer never killed twins who weren't even born yet. So maybe Sanders was getting close."

"Maybe he was trying to tell you." Abby suggested, "I mean, he was dragging you down to the tunnels under the pond, right? Maybe he was trying to warn you."

"But why not go to us, then?" Tony questioned.

"Maybe because he thinks we won't believe him sense he was the main suspect in our case." Ziva suggested, "Or maybe he knows that the FBI has a mole, and doesn't trust us either."

"Possibly." Abby said, looking as if she was thinking, "Or maybe there's something else. So - we know he left those pictures up there, and given how sloppy he was to lead us to his location, he definitely wanted NCIS to search into it, right?"

"Yeah." Tony furrowed his eyebrows in slight confusion, "But what if that was just a ruse to lead McGee there?"

"Either way, he still knows NCIS is going to investigate." Abby stated, "So, he obviously wants us to find the RTK. But there has to be something else he wants to tell McGee, right?"

"The only problem is," Ziva frowned, "We don't know what that is."

"But maybe we can." Gibbs realized, looking at McGee and the rest of the team, "Sanders isn't the bad guy here. So maybe-"

"Boss." Tony cut him off, "I don't feel comfortable using McGee as bait to lure Sanders in."

McGee seemed to perk up, realizing what the others were getting at before saying, "No, it's good." He realized, "We don't know what lengths Sanders would go to in order to deliver his message. He's not in his right mind, especially after Garza murdered his wife. No man will be." He frowned at the thought, "And it has to be something important. Maybe he knows something that can lead us to what this all is, Boss."

"Wait, Gibbs!" Abby cut everyone off, making them look at her, "But McGee is still injured, he can't-"

"I feel fine." McGee shrugged, interrupting her, "This is all we got."

"Maybe not!" Abby said, "What about the other files?"

"That are still classified, Abs." McGee frowned, "Who knows if Vance will even give us access?" She frowned, and he only continued, "Besides, Sanders may know something, and if he does, he could be in trouble. It's the only lead we got!"

Everyone grew silent, thinking.

"Fine." Abby huffed, "But if you get hurt-"

"I won't."

"Gibbs," Abby said, turning to the team leader, "You better show him a piece of you for him throwing McGee out of a window!"

"He didn't throw me, Abby, I-"

"And nearly drowning him!"

McGee rolled his eyes, "he was trying to -"

"McGee!" Abby yelled at him, "Shut up!"

He slammed his mouth closed, deciding not to say anything else. Abby turned back to Gibbs and said, "I swear if he get's hurt-"

"I know, Abs." Gibbs sighed, shaking his head, "Now I'll go talk to Vance and get clearance for those files. In the meantime, Tony, Ziva - find a way to lure in Sanders!"

"Got it, Boss." Tony and Ziva said at the same time. McGee huffed, before following them out the door.

"He'll be fine, Abs." Gibbs assured, before kissing her softly on the cheek and walking out.

Sighing, Abby just stared at the door that the team had just left out of and spoke softly to herself.

"They better be, Gibbs."

* * *

 _Young Timothy quickly awoke, unaware of what really woke him up. Glancing around, he suddenly realized he was lying on his bedroom floor._

 _Looking around, he started to sit up as he stretched his achy muscles, trying to remember why he was on the floor in the first place. Sighing, he realized that he probably was reading or playing with his toys, but then again, his toys weren't on the floor with him, so maybe mom or dad picked them up._

 _Heaving another sigh, Timothy stood up and looked around the room. It seemed cleaner than usual, but maybe that was just apart of his imagination. Suddenly, his stomach growled and he realized that he was hungry. Rubbing a hand over his stomach, he yawned then stretched a little as he headed towards the door. He turned the door knob, but stopped when he realized it was locked._

 _That was odd. The door doesn't even lock. How did-?_

 _Groaning, Timothy started to knock on the door. When no one seemed to answer, he started to bang on it._

 _"Mom?" He yelled, "Dad?"_

 _There was no answer, and he wondered if mom was out side doing the garden. Maybe if he opened the window and yelled for her to unlock the door she'll hear him._

 _Deciding that was best, Timothy gave one last pull at the door before heading towards the window. He sighed, then pulled the curtains back._

 _Suddenly, he jumped back as his heart sank and his eyes widened. Behind the window was...concrete?_

 _Timothy looked around once again, green eyes widened in fear. This was his room though, right? How could..._

 _Wait._

 _Tim remembered hiding one of his favorite toys under the bed from Danny, so maybe it's still there, right?_

 _Slowly, and with fear making his tiny body shake, Timothy walked over to the bed. He got on his knees, then looked under._

 _There was nothing._

 _Getting back up, all he could feel was fear._

 _Where was he? How was there concrete on his window? Was he even home? Or was he somewhere else, someplace that just **looked** like his room?_

 _Timothy's eyes widened again as he remembered the notes him and Danny kept getting. The ones where he couldn't show mommy and daddy, and how no matter how much he wanted to, Danny just kept saying no._

 _He remembered how the last one said something about how this week was their final weeks on earth._

 _Daniel thought it was all some sort of sick joke._

 _But now, Timothy could see that it's not. Suddenly, he wished he told his mom and dad everything the moment they got the first note._

* * *

"Abs, what do you got?" Gibbs questioned, watching as Abby practically ran into the bullpen after receiving clearance to look into the classified documents.

"There's no way Freeman could be the original RTK."

"The original?" Tony questioned, "You think there's a copycat?"

McGee perked up at the statement.

"No." Abby said confidently, "But I think RTK recruited Freeman!"

"Why would you think that?" McGee questioned, raising an eyebrow.

She suddenly turned to McGee, as if suddenly realizing he was there. Her eyes widened, and McGee knew that whatever information she found she didn't want McGee to hear.

"uh..."

"Abs!" Gibbs yelled, snapping her back into reality.

Abby gulped, "Byron and Bruce Freeman were identical twins, and Bruce was the one murdered, right?" She said, not waiting for a response to continue, "Agent Byron Freeman was found buying food from a grocery store on camera the same time Sanders was seen with Freeman!"

McGee's eyes widened, "The person meeting Sanders...that was Bruce Freeman pretending to be his brother?"

"Yes." Abby said, though with a frown, "I talked to some people on Sander's ship, and they think they saw Freeman. I'm still confused on their exact roles. I'm still not sure if Agent Byron Freeman knew his brother was alive, and maybe he was getting Sanders help. Or, maybe it's the opposite way, and Bruce was setting Sanders up all along!"

Tony furrowed his eyebrows, "Either way, this is showing that the Runic Twin Killer hasn't been killing much at all. He's been faking their deaths and recruiting them. Do you think-?"

"Don't." McGee warned, "I mean, there's no way. I watched Danny die."

"So did Byron." Abby said, "In fact, he even says Bruce was shot to death, and he even felt his pulse stop."

"Then how does the dead come back to life?" Ziva questioned, eyebrow raised.

"Maybe he never died. Well, not exactly." Abby said, "There's certain drugs that could slow the heart rate down to make it appear that it stopped. After a certain amount of time, like two minutes or even longer than that, you have to give the anecdote so they won't die. Byron said that after Bruce was shot to death and died in his arms, RTK ripped Bruce's body away and left. After that, he dropped Byron off and he never saw Bruce's body again. There were never any bodies. But the odd thing was, _sometimes_ there were bodies dumped. Police never figured out why the RTK dumped some, but hid others."

"So all the bodies that were never found..." McGee gulped, "Were recruited?"

"Or forced." Ziva said.

"Was your brother's body found?"

McGee took a deep breath, "No." He said quietly.

"There's something else, Gibbs." Abby said, eyes wide, "There was a case, about two years ago. I don't know why, but it was actually really hard to find. The information was buried under all these..."

"What is it, Abs?" Gibbs said, sounding impatient.

She gulped.

"There was this one case where the Runic Twin Killer killed Hannah Dawson, and left her sister, Hailey Dawson behind, when they were seven years old. Just two years ago, it was found that Hannah Dawson was alive. But that's not all! A couple years after Hannah's death, Hailey's mom died, as well as her grandmother. Then five years ago, her father died as well. But two years ago, when Hannah confronted her, she later found out that her parents were alive. Her grandmother had been alive too, but she died from a stroke not too long after her faked death.

"The thing is, their loved ones saw them in their casket - clearly dead! So they must have been drugged, buried alive, then taken by RTK. I mean, this guy is literally tearing people's lives apart! He takes everyone they love, releases them back to their family, then kills them again but this time _actually_ murders them!"

McGee gulped, and he couldn't help but think about everyone that had died.

Like his mom who died when he was in his late twenties, or his dad who died from Cancer just recently.

And of course, his ex-fiancée and children.

Everyone seemed to turn to McGee, thinking the same thing.

"So what? He just leaves the other twin to watch their family all die?"

Abby nodded, "At least, based on that case." She gulped, "She also had a kid that died from cancer, and body somehow 'disappeared', so that could be related." She gulped, "Also, Hailey ended up killing herself, but police suspected foul play. The case went cold, though."

"So he killed everyone they ever love." Tony realized, a sad look crossing his face.

"Maybe Sanders wants to warn McGee." Ziva realized, "and if the RTK killer knows Sanders is on to him, then..."

"Sanders is in danger." Gibbs said, "We need to find him quick."

"Right." Tony said, then looked over at McGee and said, "Wait. Why do they call him the _Runic_ Twin Killer?"

"Every time he kills, he leaves a rune symbol. Sometimes it's on a rock so it blends in, other times on the body or on the wall or something like that." McGee frowned, "I still don't know why he uses runes though. Maybe it's a ritualistic thing."

"You're probably right, Timothy." Ducky said, strolling in with a case file in hand, "I believe the Runic Twin Killer believes that with twins, one twin is evil, while the other is good. He believes he's making this world pure, and he believes he's punishing the evil twin. In this case, he believes Timothy to be the evil one."

"Me?" McGee raised an eyebrow, "Not to point fingers or anything, Ducky, but Danny was always the one getting into things he shouldn't have."

"Perhaps he just thought he was curious, not evil. Or, he probably believed you were the one doing such tasks and blaming your brother. Either way, this man is delusional. He's sick, and needs to be stopped."

"Don't have to tell me twice, Duck." Gibbs said, shaking his head as he stood up, "McGee - you'll be going on protective detail, and don't even try to talk me out of it."

McGee frowned.

"I assure you, Jethro, that even if I do not wish to have an agent on me at all times either, that we all need one at this point. This man must know that we are all like family, and the people closes to Timothy are the most in danger."

McGee's eyes slightly widened, and Ducky immediately knew what he was thinking.

"And don't even think about going off the grid, Timothy." Ducky said, making McGee look at him in shock, "That will only make matters worse. I've looked through the files, and I'm afraid the Runic Twin Killer has more victims then the police thought."

"How many, Duck?" Gibbs questioned.

Ducky frowned.

"Sadly, I believe it may be in the double digits. Forty, at the very least."

Everyone's eyes widened.

McGee could feel his heart sink, and he wondered how life could have gone this bad.

Standing up, McGee decided that now they really needed to get to work.

"We need to find Sanders, boss." McGee said, "And I think I may know a way to find him."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Haha, I wasn't posting for what felt like a long time, and suddenly I'm posting like crazy. Probably because I know that I will be doing stuff soon. I'm working on this FanFic, and another one, and I also have school that starts soon.** **(Yay!) Though, still confused on what I actually want. I know that I want to go into writing for long-term (I know, I would NOT say my FanFiction writing is the best, but that's because I don't really put THAT much effort into it sense it's...well, FanFiction. When it comes to my books, then that's a different story.  
**

 **Anyway, I'm working my way to become either a Radiology Tech, or a Phlebotomist to work part time while I'm in college. I think it will help pay for college so I wont stress TOO much on living expenses, and I can focus more on my main goal, which is writing. But then again, maybe I got it wrong?**

 **Eh, I guess I'll figure this stuff out. Anyway, I realized that I still hadn't put the reason why he was called the Runic Twin Killer, so I decided to put that in. Also, there's going to be more of McGee's fam in it, some more Talia and the twins flash backs. Especially of McGee with the kids! So, some fluff coming up soon, but also some really sad stories as well...**

 **Also, poor Sanders! He's risked everything (his career, his life, his wife, his kids) to help McGee, even if he didn't realize how much he was risking at first, and he's still trying to find a way to save him! But (spoiler alert? eh) Sanders is more involved than he expects, and well...poor McGee. I feel bad as I write this, but then again, I'm a sadist. So, maybe not.**

 **Well, I'm not REALLY a sadist (I say as I tell you I'm working on a medical degree).**

 **okay, okay, enough of my rambling. It's 2 in the morning, I should sleep, but I'm def not! Anyway, bye!**


	6. Message Received

**NCIS: Out of the Past**

Chapter 6: Message Received

 **Author's Note: There's a quote in here that is actually from Teen Wolf. So, just wanted to say that.  
**

* * *

"You sure this will work, McGee?" Ziva questioned through the ear piece as Tony and her were in an apartment on watch.

McGee heaved a sigh, taking a pretend-sip of his hot coffee. He didn't want to feel the need to use the bathroom and end up missing Sanders, and he also didn't want to run out of coffee either. So, he settled with just faking sips as he looked out of the window of the coffee shop.

"No." McGee said under his breath, "But it's all we got."

Ziva frowned, and glanced over at Tony, who just gave a nervous shrug.

"Gibbs, you see Sanders yet?" Tony questioned.

"No." Gibbs frowned, looking out the window of his car, "But I have a bad feeling about this."

Tony and Ziva were silent for a moment.

"I was hoping that was just me." Tony said, "Is it too late to call this off?"

Gibbs opened his mouth to speak, but instead McGee beat him too it.

"No." McGee mumbled. There was nothing that was going to stand in his way right now, and the others knew it. Though, that was exactly the reason they were worried.

"He's late." Ziva huffed, "Perhaps RTK got to him first."

McGee groaned, not ready to leave just yet. He then took a sip - a real sip, this time - as he decided he needed it. Though, once he put the cup down he noticed a guy his height, wearing boots, jeans, a black shirt, black coat, and a black hat as he immediately sat in front of McGee in the booth.

McGee couldn't help but notice that he looked exactly like him - just with blue eyes and dark brown hair.

Immediately, he knew.

"Da-" McGee stopped short when he heard the familiar click, and he noticed Danny put a gun towards him under the table.

His heart sank.

Did he really believe in RTK's mission? Did he really believe McGee was evil?

"I wouldn't make any sudden movements, Tee." Danny said, using his childhood nickname, "There's a bomb underneath you. You get up, it goes off. It was triggered the moment I stepped foot in this place." He tilted his head to the side a little, "Move, and this place blows up. I don't think you'd want that, right baby brother?"

He was only a couple minutes younger than Daniel, but that never stopped him from calling him Baby brother. Even if, back then, it angered Timothy.

McGee gulped.

"Why?" He couldn't help but ask, "Come on, Danny, I know you're not like this. You're smart, not-"

"What?" Danny spat, "Dumb?" He questioned, "If you haven't noticed, I've always been 'the dumb twin', while you've always been the one skipping grades because everything was too easy!" Danny nearly shouted, but no one seemed to move. It was like they didn't even hear him.

"Danny, come on-"

"Shut up." Daniel growled under his breath, "Now give me your ear piece."

McGee looked at his brother oddly. He could hear his team mates tell him not to, but at the sight of his brother right now, he knew that he could probably shoot up this whole place if he didn't do what he said.

Sighing heavily, McGee took out the ear piece. Daniel then set it on the ground and stomped on it. Still, no one seemed to look at his odd behavior.

"Why are you doing this." McGee questioned, face stone-cold as he stared at his brother, feeling angry, sad, and betrayed.

"Tim." Daniel's voice was different now, and it honestly sounded like the way it was before RTK came into their lives, "Aaron Sanders. He's the key to stopping him. He's the key to saving us."

"Us?" McGee questioned. The way Daniel said it didn't sound like he meant him and Tim. Instead, it sounded like he was talking about other people.

"Us." Daniel repeated, looking around the coffee shop. McGee stared at his brother in utter confusion, before breaking eye contact and looking around the coffee shop. He noticed how, simultaneously, everyone seemed to look at them. It was terrifying, and it looked like a scene out of a horror movie.

Then, they went back to talking, and he looked at Daniel in bewilderment.

"It was a set up, Tee. All of it." Daniel said, "They were in here before you came in. They left this booth empty for you, and that Santa Clause outside?" He questioned, and McGee looked at the Santa that was ringing a bell right by the door of the coffee shop, "Anyone who tries to come inside, he tells to leave."

"But how would you know I'd sit in this seat?" McGee questioned.

Daniel just raised an eyebrow, and McGee suddenly remembered when he first came in here, he went to go sit at this booth. He was about to sit down when one of the waitresses accidentally spilled a drink on the seat Daniel was sitting at, making McGee sit on the other end instead.

His heart sank.

"All these people..."

"Some of us want to be free, Timmy." Daniel said, his eyes big and pleading, "But the others fall for his tricks. They believe him and worship every word he says."

Suddenly, McGee realized what this really was.

"A cult." He gulped.

"Yeah." Daniel said, gulping, "Tim..." He trailed off for a moment, running a hand through his sweaty hair, "Mom and dad...they're alive. And so is Talia."

His heart sank.

"And the kids?"

Daniel gulped, "I know that at least one of them are alive." He spoke honestly, "But I haven't seen them in two years. God, Timmy...they need help. They're sick."

His eyes begin to water, but he willed for him to stay strong.

"S-sick, what do you-"

"I'm sorry, Tim." Daniel said, shaking his head, "Just find Sanders. He dropped us all off, but he'll find us eventually, and when he does - he'll kill us all. It's like...some sick game to him." he gulped, waving his hands in the air as McGee noticed the gun was gone, "Everyone is trying to hide. They know that if we see you, there will be consequences."

"Then why-?"

"Because, Timmy." Daniel said, interrupting him, "I know you're the strongest person I ever met. If anyone, it's you who could finally catch this bastard." He gulped, looking around before looking back at Timothy, "But if you see them, find them. Keep them safe."

"I thought they can't see me?"

"They won't come because they're afraid. But if _you_ find them, then maybe you can help."

"Then let me protect you, Danny." McGee said, wanting to sit up straighter but remembering there was a bomb under him.

"I can't. Not now. There's too much at stake."

"Like what?"

"I'm sorry." Danny said, suddenly getting up, "I said too much." He then set his cell phone down, letting it count down from thirty seconds, "One this gets to zero, you can get up."

He started to walk away, but before he could get to the door he turned around and said, "I love you, baby brother."

At that, he walked out. McGee's eyes only widened as he watched everyone stand up and just start leaving. Including the waitresses.

Gulping, he looked down at the phone, watching it count down.

His heart kept beating, knowing that Danny was right there...but he couldn't get to him. And everything he was saying...it just didn't make sense!

And where was his team? Wouldn't they have come by now?

As if on que, his cell phone vibrated. He let it ring, not wanting to make any sudden movements.

He watched as the timer soon went off, making his heart jump. Turning the cell phone off, he was quick to grab his own cell and answer.

"Gibbs." He heaved a sigh, "I'm fine."

"McGee, what the hell just happened!" He yelled into the phone, "We tried to come but the bastard knew we were coming!"

McGee gulped, not really wanting to know what exactly happened. Slowly, McGee stood up then looked down, and sure enough, he saw the little bomb and groaned. He stood up straighter again, then started to run out of the coffee shop.

"Boss, I can't explain everything over the phone."

"Alright." Gibbs growled, "Just meet at the apartment. Tony and Ziva are still there anyway."

Heaving a sigh, McGee just hung up the phone without another word. He pocketed the device, then stopped when he noticed a familiar face starring at him across the street.

"Talia." McGee breathed out, eyes wide. She spotted him, and immediately started to run. McGee didn't hesitate as he rushed down the street, nearly getting hit by the car in the process.

In the apartment, Tony and Ziva were watching McGee start chasing a woman.

"What the hell is probie doing?" Tony growled.

"We still can't get out." Ziva said, pulling out her gun as if she was about to shoot.

"Hey!" Tony yelled back at her, "The guy said _not_ to break anything, alright!?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, and Tony looked back. He suddenly sat up then said, "Shit! Where did he go!?"

"There!" Ziva pointed, and the two watched as a figure that looked like McGee ran in an alley.

"Is that Probie, or the evil twin?" He suddenly looked back up and said, "Wow, never thought I'd say that."

"We need to get out!" Ziva hit him on his arm, and he grimaced before standing up. Just then, the door busted open to reveal Gibbs.

They sighed with relief before saying, "Change of plans, Boss. McGee's decided to get himself killed in an alley."

At that, they all ran out of the apartment complex. Meanwhile, McGee kept chasing the hooded figure, knowing that it was Talia. He turned the corner, running in a narrow alley. Up ahead, he could see a fence as he started to gain speed. Only, he suddenly stopped when Talia turned around, her bright green eyes wide.

"Talia!" McGee said, looking shocked, "Come with me! I can protect you, just don't run, okay?"

"I'm sorry, Timmy." Talia said, sounding terrified yet brave all at the same time as McGee took a couple steps closer, "I can't do that."

"Talia. Let me help."

"No." She shook her head, tears in her eyes, "I need to find Lydia."

His heart sank, and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the fact that it was proof that only one daughter survived.

"Tali-"

Suddenly, it was like everything stopped. He watched as the tiny red dot appeared on her chest, and before he could even push her down the bullet zipped past him and dug into her flesh. He could see her face twist into pain and shock as she fell, and he caught her quickly, falling to his knees with her in his lap.

"Talia!" He yelled, putting a hand over her wound, "Don't die on me. Don't leave me, okay? I love you, Talia. God, I love you so much." He felt tears stream down his face as he leaned forward, holding her tightly as he tried to add pressure to the wound.

"Tim...my." She gasped for breath, and it sounded like the bullet had pierced her lung, "I...love you...Tim."

"I love you, Too, Talia." McGee couldn't help but cry, "But you aren't leaving me. Not again."

"I'm...sorry." She coughed, blood rolling down her pale skin, "Ly...dia...s-sick.."

"Where is she? Talia? Where is she? Where's Lydia?" More tears streamed down, coming too fast for him to stop.

She gulped, swallowing down the blood that was forcing it's way up her throat. Her green eyes seemed brighter somehow, as they tried to stare into his eyes but only seemed to be looking at something far away, "look...ing...for..." She gasped for air again, "You."

"Talia...please...please don't. Don't die...don't die on me." McGee shook her slightly, still adding pressure as tears streamed down his face. He was suddenly aware of people behind him as shadows of figures loomed over him, but he didn't care.

"Find...Lydia."

"I will, Talia." McGee cried harder, "Stay with me. Okay? Just stay with me. Keep talking."

"Timmy." Talia said, this time sounding just a bit stronger. A tear streamed down her face, and a hand went to grab a hold of McGee's hand, "It's...it's okay. It's...perfect."

"What? Talia...how could you say that?"

"I'm in the arms...of my first love." McGee's heart sank, and he could feel a tear fall, "The arms...of the first one I'll ever love..." She gasped for air again.

 _"The person I'll always love._ " She choked out, and McGee could suddenly tell that she had handed him something. He took the small object, not even looking at it as he stared into her green eyes that seemed to lose it's color.

"It's okay, Timothy." She cried, "I can...finally...see Lily." A tear fell down, "Keep...Lydia...safe."

"Talia-"

"I love...you both. Never...forget...that."

"I won't. I won't, Talia, just please-"

"Tim..." She trailed off, and suddenly, her eyes left his and was instead starring at the empty grey sky.

"Talia?" McGee shook her a little, his voice breaking as he spoke, "Talia, please...don't do this. Don't do this to me, come on." He shook her more, leaning over her dead body as tears streamed down his face even harder. "No, no, no...please...Talia, I can't lose you...not again."

"McGee..." Tony trailed off, putting a hand on the younger agent's shoulder.

"No!" McGee screamed now, tears running freely, "Talia!" He yelled louder, making people down the street stop and turn, "Please! Please don't leave!"

"McGee, come on. I'm sorry, man, but you have to let go."

"No!" McGee only grew louder, and Tony went to grab his arm but instantly, McGee shoved him away. Tony fell back, and they all looked at their friend in shock before Ziva helped Tony back up.

"McGee!" Gibbs yelled this time, making McGee seem to immediately stop shaking, "You need to get up. I'm sorry, McGee. She's gone."

 _She's gone._

The words seemed to struck McGee, twisting it like it was a knife in his chest.

For a moment, he was completely still. He could only stare at Talia's green eyes that were looking up at the sky, glossed over like a porcelain doll.

Then, he slowly remembered the item that was in his hand, and he looked down.

It was her diamond ring, still shiny and so beautiful, and a picture of twins.

No, of _his_ twins. Of _his_ girls.

Under them, were their names written in cursive.

Lydia and Lily McGee.

Suddenly, he started to cry even harder as he remembered that now, Lydia was the only one left.

And he had to find her.

"McGee." Ziva said calmly as McGee slowly stood up, eyes still trained on his dead ex-finacée.

"I won't forget." He said softly to himself.

Without another word, McGee turned around and left - not even looking at his team mates shocked, sad, and concerned faces.

Instead, he looked down at the picture at hand, remembering Talia's last wish.

 _Find Lydia._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Like I said, there's a quote in here that's from Teen Wolf. It was Allison's last words to Scott saying, "It's perfect. I'm in the arms of the first person I love, the person I'll always love..." Or something along those lines.**

 **Anyway, yeah, this got REALLY sad. But, I mean, whoa man - this IS bigger than they thought, right?**

 **I mean, it's bigger than _I_ even thought. Like, whoa, shocked even the writer.**

 **Okay, wow, I need sleep.**

 **-Looks at clock- nah.**


	7. The Chase

**NCIS: Out of the Past**

Chapter 7: The Chase  


* * *

"I'm so sorry, Timothy." Ducky said sincerely, looking at the youngest agent in front of him as McGee stared down at Talia's body on the autopsy table. "I can leave, if you two want to be left alone?"

"No." McGee choked out, taking a deep breath before starting again, "No, it's okay, Ducky." He rubbed a hand over his face, and with his other hand he took out the two items Talia had given him on her last breath.

He looked down at the engagement ring, feeling tears sting his eyes once more.

"That's quite a beautiful ring, Timothy. Did you give that to her?"

"Yeah." McGee said, starring down at it with a small smile on his face, "I can't believe she still had it...after all these years."

"It's no surprise, Timothy." Ducky said, "She loves you."

He spoke as if she was still alive, and McGee wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that. Because, clearly, Talia was dead. This time, she really was dead - lifeless on the autopsy table, already haven been cut open to be examined by the doctor.

McGee shuttered, before clasping his hands over the small diamond ring. He took one last look at Talia, then gave Ducky a small, forceful, smile, "Thank you, Ducky. For everything."

"No need to thank me, Timothy. Just take care of yourself, and be careful out there. I don't want you to be next on this table."

McGee nodded, knowing that he needed to be careful especially when it was him and his family that are targets. He also knew, that because this is so personal, that this case can cloud his mind and he'll end up doing something stupid. Which, he guesses, he already been acting based off his emotions, and now was a good time to start acting like an agent again.

Taking a deep breath, McGee soon strolled out of the room without much of another word. Soon, he made his way back into the bullpen, seeing Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony working away. Of course, the moment he stepped in the room everyone's eyes were on him.

"Probie." Tony said, and McGee knew that word was filled with encouragement, sympathy, and a brotherly 'I'll always be there for you' kind of way. In a way, that one word was all that it took to make McGee want to fight back harder, "You good?"

"Good." McGee said, not missing a beat, "What do we got so far?"

Tony and Ziva both glanced at Gibbs at the same time, unsure if they should speak, when Gibbs stood up and walked over to McGee.

"You sure you got this, McGee?" He questioned, "If you're going to work this case-"

"I know." McGee interrupted, "Clear head. I got it, boss."

Gibbs nodded, looking rather surprised and impressed more than anything, "Alright, McGee. Your case, your lead."

McGee gave a surprised look, before just nodding in agreement. He turned to Tony and Ziva then repeated, "What do we got?"

Tony and Ziva quickly got to their feet, crowding around the plasma. Tony clicked a button and showed up a few windows, all which looked like comments on several websites, "After hearing that the RTK is actually the leader of a cult, we started to run a program to filter through comments on the dark web relating to RTK and his followers. Based on these comments, we see that RTK is seriously cautious when it comes to new members, but sense he's still wanting to grow this delusional cult he's got going on, he still manages to try to recruit other members randomly. They start off at the lowest level, but guess what?" Tony clicked on a button again, and three pictures showed up. He clicked another button, making one of the pictures bigger. It was a bold, big, muscular, black guy with big brown eyes.

"FBI Special Agent Thomas Boyd went in with two other agents. He had remained in contact longer than the other two, and he's been undercover as 'Thomas Barker'. He's been closer with the members that are trying to find a way out." Tony clicked another button, "FBI Special Agent Alex Griffin." The second picture grew bigger, showing a tan guy with short, dark brown hair, and green eyes, "He's been under cover as Alex Washington, and he was the first one to lose contact. Agent Boyd had seen him, and Agent Griffin discovered that the highest members of the cult have been training the children at a young age to become contract killers, but they only chose some of the children. The woman were forced to work, or are raped and forced to bear their rapist's children. The men are forced into hard labor or into doing RTK's dirty work, or stalking." Tony clicked another button to show a third picture of an agent. It was a woman with long brown hair, brown eyes and tan skin, "This is NSA Agent Mona Morales, who is undercover as Mona Ray. FBI and NSA lost contact with her completely, and not even Agent Boyd or Griffin saw her. So far, we don't know if she's alive or dead. But, right before they lost contact with her, she sent several pictures to NSA before falling off the grid."

Tony clicked another button, and a bunch of photographs were scattered over the plasma screen. McGee could see that some were children, obviously neglected. Some were of children in what looked like a science lab, connected to wires and IV's, completely unconscious and unaware of what was going on around them. There were several pictures of one giant room with what looked like a hundred metal cremation urns. Then, there were other pictures of people that NSA Agent Morales took, and McGee had a feeling they were all main targets.

Several of those pictures were of Talia, of his dad and his mom, and of two twins that McGee immediately knew where Lydia and Lily McGee.

McGee straightened up at the sight, inhaling sharply at the sight. He gulped, then said, "How far back is this?"

"This was eleven months ago. Those agents are either still in there or dead." Tony said.

"It looks like the FBI and NSA have enough to take down this cult, but the only problem is, the two agencies have been getting numerous amount of threats. If they take them down, then someone else - someone they still haven't been able to locate - will launch several drone attacks, and no one knows where."

"So the only way to take this cult down is to find the person making the drone threats." McGee frowned, "It sounds like this cult has made friends with a lot of other organizations. Even if we find this other person, The RTK Cult might have a lot of other people to prevent them from going down."

"So in other words, we're screwed." Ziva frowned.

"No. Their has to be another way." Gibbs said.

"Well, if we take down RTK himself, we still have his followers to worry about. What would they do?" Ziva questioned.

"Judging by how well organized he's been, they won't be lost or confused. They probably even have a backup plan in case their leader dies, and I guarantee you that if we kill RTK, who knows how much drones will be launched because of our actions." McGee heaved a sigh.

"Well, we also have to act quietly." Tony said, looking at Ziva, Gibbs, and McGee, "FBI and NSA have been, which was why it took so long to get this information. But, according to the FBI, if the wrong person finds out what we're doing, it's only going to lead to more deaths."

McGee nodded, taking all this information in, "Okay." He heaved a sigh, "Is there anything else we got? Like how we're going to get this bastard?"

Tony and Ziva looked at each other, and Gibbs just silently chuckled at how McGee was sounding like him.

"Well, there is one more thing." Tony said, biting his lip before he looked back at the plasma screen. He clicked a button, then another window popped up showing what looked like to be a cameras' view of a conference room. Clicking another button, Tony played the video. It showed a teenage girl with dark brown hair that was almost black, and pale skin. It appeared that the woman was talking to three men, who looked as if they were either concerned, or laughing at something.

Then, without any warning, the girl jumped up, hit the man in front of her with something and watched him fall down. The other two tried to grab their guns, but she knocked it out of their hands, and immediately, ripped off her shirt, threw it over the man's head and chocked him with it, while simultaneously kicking the other man in the gut, then again in the head.

They both fell down, and the girl put her shirt back on. She then bent over at the men where the camera couldn't see. Then, she looked back up, her piercing blue eyes looking at the camera before smiling, then leaving the room.

McGee's heart raced as he watched the video feed, and he instantly looked at the picture he had in his pocket. Looking down, he realized that although Lydia and Lily looked the same, the only difference was their eyes. Lily's were a bright green, while Lydia's were blue.

"That's Lydia." McGee realized. "Are they dead?"

"Only one of them." Tony sighed, "His twin died years ago. His family were murdered, and even after getting numerous threats - although we don't know of what - he refused to kill himself. So, they sent...Lydia, to do the job for him." Tony looked at McGee and gulped, "She's known to be the best of the best, McGee."

McGee groaned, "That doesn't really help, DiNozzo-"

"No." Tony interrupted, "But she's so good, she never is seen on camera. Unless, of course -"

"She wants to." Ziva finished, "This is her cry for help, McGee. Your daughter obviously wants out."

McGee gulped. She was right. Though, even if she was wrong, that wouldn't stop him from trying to find her.

"Okay." McGee huffed, "How long ago was this?"

"Two days ago." Ziva answered, "In D.C. Just several blocks from here."

McGee's eyes kind of widened before he gathered himself and said, "Any other sign of her after that?"

"No." Tony frowned, "But we're still looking for any signs of her. We're going to find her, McGee."

McGee could only nod, unsure what else to do or say at this point. Then, he opened his mouth to say something else when Abby suddenly rushed in the bullpen.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby nearly yelled, rushing towards them, "I think I found where Lydia is!"

They all seemed to look at each other before quickly grabbing their gear.

"I've sent the address to your phones!"

"Thank you, Abs!" McGee yelled back as they all rushed towards the elevator, hoping to find Lydia.

* * *

"Navy Lieutenant Aaron Sanders." A dark-haired woman said as she walked into the small gas station, "You're a hard man to find, Sir."

Aaron Sanders looked up at surprise from the rows of pain killers he was looking at. He looked to see piercing blue eyes starring back at him, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before his eyes lit up with recognition.

"Wait, I know you." He realized.

"Sorry, where are my manners?" The dark-haired teen smirked as if this was some kind of game to her. She held out a freshly manicured hand and said, "Lydia McGee. I'm sure you've heard of me."

He straightened up at the sound of her name, before looking down at her hand and cautiously shaking it, "Aaron Sanders. Though, you already know that."

"I'm surprised you didn't recognize me, Sir." Lydia said, then looked back at the over-the-counter medications and other items in front of her as if they were more interesting, "Given that you have been looking into me and my family for a long time now - but then again, you look tired. You're in pain, I assume, sense you're starring at a dozen over-the-counter pain medications, and judging by how clammy your hand was, you seem sick. I could only assume you're still being drugged without you even being aware."

Sanders looked at Lydia in shock, then gulped and scratched the back of his head awkwardly before saying, "What are you doing here? How'd you even know I'm here?"

"Easy." Lydia shrugged, "Though, you should be concerned about how the black SUV's that have been following you know where you are."

He looked at her in shock, then looked behind him as if to look out the window. He could see the black SUV's across the street, and he took a deep breath and looked back at Lydia. He rubbed his forehead, feeling his headache worsen.

"How-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lydia leaned in and put a hand in his coat pocket. He looked at her in total confusion, then watched as she took out a tiny, square-like object that he immediately recognized as a tracker.

"Son of a bitch." She growled under his breath, "I didn't even feel that."

"I wouldn't be hard on yourself, sir. It's understandable to be a little off your game when your mother and your unborn children were just murdered." Lydia said, raising an eyebrow at him before grabbing a box of pregnancy tests, "Those men out there have been drugging you. Not to kill you, but to throw you off. To make you sloppy, so it's harder to cover your tracks. They're just waiting to get word to kill you, or to have someone else kill you." She sighed as she opened the box of pregnancy tests and slid the tracker inside. She closed it, then grabbed a permanent marker out of her jacket and started to write something on the box. Sanders wanted to ask what she was doing, but instead chose to listen to her as she continued.

"Look," She heaved a sigh as she faced him, "I know who RTK is, I also know the real reason he's doing this, and you are the only person that can stop him without causing a massive number of deaths."

Sanders groaned, "I don't understand. Why me? I've never even heard of this guy before!"

Lydia huffed as they both turned to the worker who was starring at them oddly. Sanders looked back at Lydia, who spoke softly. "I will explain everything if you come with me. I know a safe place. I also know that NCIS isn't after you. They know that you didn't hire Garza, and that you were set up."

"Why would I trust you?" Sanders took a step back, "Last I checked, you're a highly trained assassin whose been known to kill with typical household items." He raised an eyebrow, "For all I know, you're just going to take me somewhere to kill me."

"Wow." Lydia said, biting her lip, "You're literally three times my size, big guy."

Sanders rolled his eyes, "Doesn't matter. I've seen you kill three guys who were twice your size in less than two minutes."

Lydia licked her dry lips, heaving a frustrated sigh before saying, "You're right. But there's no reason why I would kill you. Not when my sister's life is on the line."

He looked at her in bewilderment, "I thought your sister was dead."

Lydia gulped, "No. At least, not yet. Which is why I need your help." She glanced at the window, then looked back at Sanders with alert written on her face, "They're coming in. Follow me."

Without another word, she rushed towards the front desk. Sanders hesitated for a moment, unsure, then started to follow the young teen. He watched as she slammed the pregnancy test down with a message written on it, then ran out the back door.

He could hear a guy screaming after him, and it only pushed him to run further.

Right now, Lydia McGee was probably his only option to stay alive and figure out what the hell is going on.

* * *

"NCIS Special Agent McGee." McGee said, flashing his badge towards the gas station worker, "This is Special Agent DiNozzo. We'd like to ask a few questions?"

"Uh, sure. Whatever." The worker said, raising an eyebrow at the two agents, "Is this about that weird message?"

Tony and McGee looked at each other in confusion before back at the worker, "What weird message?" Tony questioned.

"Oh, uh this one." He said, grabbing a pregnancy box and a small tracker. He could see that on the pregnancy box was written "NCIS" in huge, black, letters.

"Was that inside?" Tony asked, motioning towards the tracker that was blinking red.

"Uh, yeah." The worker frowned at the odd object, "This girl came in, started talking to some guy. He yelled something, but I can't remember what he said." The worker frowned, "Anyway, they seemed kind of freaked out about something, then started to run. The girl slammed this on the counter, and they rushed out through the back. Then, these other guys started to chase them, and that was the last I saw them."

McGee furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, before looking around and seeing a camera on the ceiling. He looked back at the worker and said, "We're going to need a copy of the video feed."

"Right. No problem." The worker said, then turned around and left to the back room. McGee sighed then faced Tony with a frown on his face as if thinking something.

Apparently, Tony was confused about something as well.

"Why a pregnancy test?" He questioned.

"I don't know." McGee answered honestly, "Maybe it was just the first thing she saw."

Tony shook his head, "No, it's something else. I've been researching on this girl, man, and she does everything for a reason."

McGee sighed and shook his head, not liking that they were talking about _his_ daughter. His only daughter, possibly.

Sighing, McGee opened his mouth as if to say something but instead, the worker came in and handed him the DVD's. "So, are we done here?"

"Yeah." McGee said, "Thanks. Have a nice day."

"You too, man." The worker said.

At that, Tony and McGee started to walk out of the gas station with the evidence and video feed in hand.

Hopefully, this could lead them to finding Lydia, Sanders, and a way to finally take this guy down.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I feel suddenly bad. I haven't really been focusing on editing. I might go back and edit, but for now - I apologize! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy. Keep up the reviews! They really keep me going! :)**


	8. Lost and Found

**NCIS: Out of the Past**

Chapter 8: Lost and Found  


* * *

"What are they saying, Abs?" Gibbs questioned as the team stared at the video feed.

"It's hard to tell. I can only read her lips." Abby said, squinting her eyes at the video feed then saying, "Okay, she's introducing herself as Lydia McGee. She says that she knows he's been looking into her father, and also starts saying something about...him being drugged without him noticing." She frowned when Lydia faced the pregnancy tests and kept talking, though she couldn't see her lips. When she turned back towards Sanders, Abby spoke up again, "Okay, she's talking about two SUV's." She said as they watched him turn and look out the window before looking back, "She's telling him she knows a place. By the looks of it, he doesn't trust her."

"He looks afraid." Ziva stated.

"Well, jeez, Ziva, I would be too. Have you seen her-" DiNozzo stopped as McGee glared at him, and he shut his mouth and just looked back at the video feed.

It looked as if they both heard something sense they turn around.

"Okay, she just says to follow her." Abby said, as they watched Lydia run to the front desk and put the message down, with Sanders hesitantly following.

"Is there any video feed around that building?" Gibbs questioned.

"No. They go through an alley, but traffic cams didn't pick them up. I have no idea where they are."

"Why contact us, but make it hard for us to find her?" Abby questioned.

"Possibly because if they made it easy, those guys would get to them first." Tony answered with a frown, "I still think the box of pregnancy tests are a message in itself."

"How do you know?" Ziva questioned, "It was right in front of her. Sanders was looking at painkillers, and the box was right there."

"I know." DiNozzo frowned, "But it just feels like there's something more to it."

"Well, she said she knows a place to hide. What if she's near a hospital? Or a fertility clinic? Or a daycare?" Abby suggested.

"Maybe." DiNozzo said, sounding hopeful.

"Or maybe it's a dead-end as well." Ziva stated, looking at her partner with her eyebrow raised.

"Actually, I agree with Tony." McGee said, speaking for the first time, "It does feel like it's a message in itself, for some reason."

"Thank you, McGee!" DiNozzo said, a smirk on his face as McGee just shook his head at him.

"Alright, I can check traffic cams of all the fertility clinics, or day cares or emergency rooms nearby." Abby stated, "I also have a clear shot of the mens faces that were chasing Sanders and Lydia. Do you want me to put out a BOLO, Gibbs?"

Gibbs thought for a minute before saying, "No. We have no evidence to show they did anything illegal that would stand for court, and that might just make them harder to track." Gibbs frowned, "But Tobias is on his way to discuss what the FBI knows about the RTK case."

"What else could they have?" Tony questioned, "Their agents are off the grid now. There's no new information."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "Tobias doesn't think so." He stated simply, then looked at his watch, "Meet in the conference room in half an hour."

At that, Gibbs walked out leaving his team - who were still confused on what more they could do to find Lydia, Sanders, and catch the RTK.

* * *

McGee sighed as he stared at his desktop, his mind still running a mile a minute. All he could think about was Talia dying in his arms, or her pale, lifeless, body in the autopsy room in this very building. All he could think about is Lydia, and the possibility that Lily was dead. He could think about Daniel, and how scared he seemed, and all the other people (twins or not) who are trapped in RTK's cult. He remembered seeing their terrified looks, even if it was _he_ who was sitting on a bomb. Sure, a part of him knew that it wouldn't go off, but the bomb squad said that it was still a possibility if he stood up.

He really didn't like that. And, right now, he was really hating how twins ran in the family, because that seemed to only make RTK want to attack his family even more.

Shaking his head, McGee tried to focus on the case. He wondered why Daniel said that Sanders was the 'key' to stopping RTK. As far as he knew, Sanders didn't know about RTK until after he was drugged with cocaine. The only thing that could point him to RTK is the fact that his wife died with his unborn twins because of Garza - who, now to think about it - probably was in the RTK cult.

But, of course, Garza wasn't talking. Why would he? Everyone seemed to fear RTK, and he was sure it wouldn't change if they were in prison or not.

Sighing, McGee just stared at the video feed for the hundredth time, hoping that some evidence can finally pop up. But, like the other 99 times he watched it, nothing did.

"I think I might know where Lydia and Sanders are!" Abby said, rushing into the room.

"Where?" McGee said, standing up so quickly he almost stumbled from dizziness.

"There's this abandoned fertility clinic on Duncan Avenue. I saw what looked like Lydia and Sanders heading that way, but it's hard to tell." Abby frowned.

Either way, McGee, Tony, and Ziva were grabbing their gear.

"Thanks, Abs!" McGee yelled, before they rushed out and hoped Lydia and Sanders were there.

* * *

"You should drink some water." Lydia McGee said, handing a bottle of water to Navy Lieutenant Aaron Sanders as they sat uncomfortably in the abandoned fertility clinic, "I don't know how they drugged you or what they drugged you with - if they did at all - but it will clear it out of your system a little faster."

Frowning, Sanders sighed then took the bottle of water. He looked at it cautiously, then started to drink.

Setting the bottle down, he huffed before saying, "So, are you going to tell me how I'm somehow involved in this mess?" Sanders questioned.

Lydia frowned, glancing up from sharpening her knife before setting the objects down and leaning back against the wall.

"You might not believe me - or maybe you just don't want to believe me, but either way, you aren't going to like what I have to say." Lydia frowned.

Sanders shifted uncomfortably.

"Just tell me." He said, wanting to know, "I'll keep an open-mind."

Lydia scoffed, then thought for a moment before deciding to speak.

"You're parents - Claudia Sanders and Noah Sanders..." She bit her lip, trying to think of how to say this, "They were struggling to get pregnant." She said, "So they needed...a little help."

Sanders nodded, the looked around the abandoned fertility clinic as if the realization hit him.

"They had a surrogate mother because your mom's body wasn't strong enough to bear children. But, unexpectedly, they ended up having twins. You, and your brother - Albert Sanders."

"I don't have a brother." Sanders said, rather harshly.

"That's because on your first birthday, Albert was kidnapped by the surrogate mother. Her name is Vivian Whittemore, and she changed Albert's name to Alan Whittemore. Then, a couple months after Alan's fifteenth birthday, he found out he had a twin. Vivian made him believe that you were made out of evil energy, and she brainwashed him to believe that only one twin is every good, and that Alan was good. Not even a year later, when Alan turned sixteen he just...snapped."

"He started killing at sixteen?" Sanders said, bewildered.

"It happens, sadly." Lydia stated, "He was never able to get to you - and even so, he never seemed to have been able to get the guts. So, instead, he took his anger out on other twins. One day someone witnessed what he was doing, but instead of calling the cops, they were...intrigued. When Alan realized that he could easily manipulate people, he started to recruit members in his...group, or cult. It only grew bigger, and he made those people basically worship him. They stole stuff, and would give him all the money despite the fact they were starving. They would stalk for him, die for him, and even kill for him. Alan realized how much power he had over these people, and it only got worse."

Sanders gulped, looking like he was thinking hard as Lydia spoke.

"But..."

"I know." Lydia sighed, "He's your brother. No one wants to think bad about a sibling, even if you never even met them."

He shook his head, then huffed and said, "I don't understand. How can I stop him?"

"Because, even though Alan sounds like a hard man to actually defeat, he's not when it comes to you. You are his weakness, no matter how ironic it seems. And I know this seems like its too simple, but you have a better chance of talking him into defeat than anyone else. Trust me, I've studied this man. The only way he'll stop is if _you_ talk to him."

"How could that possibly work?" Sanders questioned, "He hates twins! Like you said, he hates me."

"I know it seems...odd, to ask you of this." Lydia frowned, "Those people that are trying to kill you are aware enough to realize that you are his weakness. They know that you will be able to change his way of thinking, and that's what terrifies them."

"And if I do this," Sanders realized, "Wouldn't they just come after me out of anger?"

"Possibly." Lydia frowned, "but even though it's a big cult, there's only a very select few that are killing you for that reason. Literally, only six. We just have to get to them first."

Sanders heaved a sigh, "I want to help. I do but this sounds more like a suicide-mission."

"No, it just sounds like an impossible solution to a complex problem." Lydia said simply, "Sometimes, the solution is literally just talking it out. As weird, or simple as that seems - Its the truth."

Sanders huffed, then rubbed his face in frustration.

"All of this...my wife...because of what happened years ago?"

"I'm sorry, Sir." Lydia said, "I don't think any of us can get out of this without something so tragic to happen, sadly. And I don't want to push you to do this sense it can be dangerous, but there's a lot of people's lives on the line."

The Navy Lieutenant then nodded, taking a deep breath and knowing what he had to do.

"You're right." He said, "I'll do it." He gulped, then looked at Lydia and said, "But, how exactly am I supposed to meet...Alan?"

"Now for that part, we'll need a little bit more help." Lydia said.

As if on Que, the two saw a ray of light before figures started to come in saying, "NCIS!"

Sanders jumped up, but Lydia was quick to say, "Remember, you're not a suspect anymore."

He nodded, though didn't seem sure.

"Over here." Lydia yelled.

Soon, the faces of three special agents came into view. Lydia's heart sank deep in her chest as she looked at the man she knew had to be her father. She only had one picture of him, and it wasn't that recent, but she knew it was him when she saw him.

"Dad." She breathed out, and without much of a second thought, she rushed over and hugged him tightly. Agent McGee nearly dropped his gun before holding her tightly and saying, "Lydia?"

"Yeah...yeah, it's me." Lydia sighed with relief, "I can't believe I'm finally meeting you." She said, although the words sounded odd on her tongue.

"Me too, Lydia." McGee said, a small smile on his face as he hugged her tighter, "Me too."

Soon, they separated as Lydia gave her father a small, smile.

"We should head back." McGee said, clearing his throat awkwardly, "We can put Sanders in protective custody, and-"

"About that." Lydia said, suddenly feeling awkward, "I have an idea on how to stop Alan-"

"Who?" Ziva questioned.

"The RTK." She said simply, and McGee's heart sank. He could finally put a name to the killer, but he still wanted to put a face to the name, "But, the only problem is, it might be risky."

"Risky is my middle name." DiNozzo smirked, then frowned and said, "Probably not a good middle name."

"No, probably not." Lydia gave him a funny look before continuing, "But based off what I heard about this team...you guys seem to always get the job done."

DiNozzo raised an eyebrow, "So you heard about us?"

"Who hasn't?" She smirked, "You're legends."

"Funny." Tony said, smirking as he thought about how dangerous this small, seventeen year old girl apparently was, "I could say the same thing about you."

McGee sighed and shook his head and said, "We should get going now."

"Right." Tony said, then looked at McGee with an evil grin on his face.

" _Told you the box was a message."_

McGee could only roll his eyes at his partner's comment as they all walked out of the abandoned building.

Finally, they had found Sanders and Lydia. Though, he still wanted to know more about Lily and if she's alive or not. Plus, there was the conversation on telling Lydia her mother is dead.

Frowning at the thought, he instead chose to try to focus on the present. Right now, his daughter was alive and _safe_ and, thankfully, wanting to be around him as much as he wanted to be around her.

McGee could only smile at his daughter, watching her give a sad smile back, as they then got in the car and headed back to HQ.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _So, yay, McGee finally found his daughter! Ah, sorry, again, haven't been editing much. Will try to. Anyway, this story is kind of almost over, and I feel bad sense it seems like it's going too fast, but maybe that's because I feel like I just wrote this so...sloppy. Agh! But, I have lots of other ideas now, so..._

 _soon, my precious, soon..._

 _anyway thanks for reading! Please review and follow/favorite! There will be more chapters soon!_


End file.
